Mr. Zurfluh is currently out of country recruiting at the Search Associates Fair in Bangkok, Thailand. He will return to ASW on Friday. In the meantime, the following is a repeat of an earlier message on Air Quality published last year – reprinted here as a reminder:

Air Quality Follow-Up

As a follow-up to our increased diligence on air quality, I wanted to inform you of some deeper insight into our understanding of the issue and additional steps we are taking. As you already know, we are making decisions on a daily basis with regards to recess and outdoor play decisions. It’s important to note that this decision is not about suggesting that air quality, under these circumstances, is better indoors. Instead, it is meant to implement the recommendations of our medical experts that exertion or physical activity be minimized when air quality is bad. While this doesn’t limit exposure, it mediates the potential impact of air quality issues. In the general sense, there is only so much you can do in a large building with many doors opening and closing all day. While our systems have filters and do circulate air, they were not built for a high level of filtration and will not mediate the current concern in the PM2.5 range that is driving the primary air quality indicators. We are regularly and rigorously evaluating our systems and continuously upgrading them where possible and appropriate.

To help in monitoring this, we have installed a small monitoring device just inside the building at our front entrance. This unit is now sharing it’s data through the AirVisual interface that I previously shared in our first post on air quality issues. You can now monitor the school’s device on your own applications via the sharing tool that this online system provides. The “Node” for the school has the following sharing code:

FBZFKATE

In order to monitor this node, you’ll need to setup an account on AirVisual. Then point your browser here:

And, then follow the instructions for adding a node, entering the share code above. The instructions may be slightly different online vs. the mobile applications. You can then follow the school’s sensor and compare with the monitoring points in nearby Konstancin or in the city center of Warsaw.

We’ll keep monitoring and reflecting on our practices in this area. Your thoughts, as always, are welcome.